From daughter to doctor: How a breast cancer diagnosis shaped this physician’s career

Physicians choose their specialties for a variety of reasons. For Kaitlin Bokhari, MD, a breast surgical oncologist on the medical staff at Baylor Scott & White Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center – Dallas, her work is shaped by a deeply personal connection to breast cancer: her mother’s diagnosis and the genetic link that was passed to her for the same risk.

That connection didn’t just influence a specialty choice for her in the field of medicine; it became the lens she uses to talk to people who enter her clinic, how she shapes treatment plans and her insistence on compassionate, practical care.

This is her story.

Inspired to help others at a young age

Dr. Bokhari remembers deciding at a very young age that she wanted to be a doctor.

“I went with my mom to a lot of her doctor appointments,” she said. Her mother was first diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 29.

“I remember the nurses playing with me and telling me that the doctors are making my mom better,” she said. “And I very much latched on to that idea and announced that I would be a doctor.” 

Even as a teenager, Dr. Bokhari found herself around cancer care more than most people her age. While in high school, she worked as a nanny for a family whose father was a medical oncologist, and she began shadowing him at his practice. When he asked her, “Why are you here?” instead of working at the mall, she told him that her mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer at a very young age and how it impacted her. 

That exposure, coupled with the reality of her own mother’s breast cancer diagnosis and care, confirmed her course for medicine, with breast surgical oncology as a professional focus. 

When genetics confirmed a high-risk diagnosis

Genetic testing for breast cancer entered clinical practice around the same time Dr. Bokhari’s family was confronting hard questions about the possibility of her mother’s breast cancer being passed genetically to her daughter.

Her mother was tested and received a positive result for a BRCA1 mutation, a change in one of the body’s genes that normally helps prevent cancer. When BRCA1 is altered, it greatly increases a person’s lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. However, Dr. Bokhari had to wait until she was old enough to be tested herself. 

“For my 18th birthday, we had my genetic testing done and found that I, too, carry BRCA1,” she said. That confirmation put her directly into a high-risk screening pathway and into conversations many clinicians never experience themselves as patients. 

She enrolled in a structured high-risk screening program and made the difficult but deliberate decision to reduce her risk of developing breast cancer surgically.

“In my fourth year of medical school, I underwent a bilateral prophylactic mastectomy with reconstruction,” she said. That real-world experience informed not only her surgical judgment but also her bedside manner.

The three perspectives she brings to clinic

Dr. Bokhari said her combination of roles as clinician, patient and caregiver gives her rare clarity when she meets someone wrestling with choices about risk reduction, screening or treatment.

“Being on the other side as a patient gave me a unique perspective,” she said. “I understand the physical recovery, the unexpected complications and the mental weight of making choices based on risk, rather than a confirmed diagnosis.” 

Because those choices are so personal, she makes sure to have conversations that go beyond lab reports and technical recommendations. 

“I’m insistent on having discussions with my patients. I ask, ‘What are your concerns? What are your family’s concerns? What is your support network talking to you about? How do you feel about all of these things?’” she said.

Her goal is to present options clearly, answer questions without judgment and walk alongside patients as they make the decision that fits their life.

Taking clear actions: family history and annual screenings

Dr. Bokhari emphasizes two concrete, evidence-based steps people can take now when it comes to evaluating their risk for breast cancer (or any concerning condition) and next steps. 

First, know your family history and share it openly with relatives and your clinician.

“Having very free conversations with your family about what conditions run in your family is so important,” she said. Tell your doctor what you learn. That will help determine whether genetic testing, referral to a specialist or earlier/more frequent screenings are appropriate. Professional guidelines increasingly encourage broader access to genetic counseling and testing for people with relevant family histories.

Second, don’t delay screening. Dr. Bokhari’s message is simple and direct.

“Regardless of your family history, if you are the age of 40 or older, you need to have a screening mammogram every single year. It’s invaluable. It can catch things early and make your cancer more treatable.” She also counsels people to ask whether they should start screenings earlier or add additional screenings if their risk is high. 

Why early detection for breast cancer matters

Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women, with the American Cancer Society estimating nearly 317,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed in 2025. The good news? Breast cancer mortality rates have fallen over the past decades, which is a result of earlier detection, improved treatments and more targeted therapies. 

Those broad trends matter at the bedside. Detecting cancers at an earlier stage opens up options that tend to be less invasive and have fewer long-term consequences.

Dr. Bokhari looks forward to seeing the progress influence how providers approach cancer treatment, including surgery.

“The medical therapies (or medicines) available today are so good and so tailored to individual cancer types—it's changed the surgical landscape, too. We can do fewer and smaller surgeries, with reduced risk of complications and get the same outcomes as the bigger operations of the past.” 

How screening, surgery and treatments for breast cancer have evolved

Modern breast cancer care is markedly different from the era when Dr. Bokhari’s mother was first treated. For many women in the early stages of the condition, advances in systemic therapies (targeted drugs matched to tumor biology) mean that some cancers respond to treatment that can shrink tumors before surgery, allowing for smaller operations.

For people with genetic mutations such as BRCA1, risk-reducing surgery (including bilateral mastectomy) remains an option that significantly lowers cancer risk. Decisions about timing and approach are deeply personal and should be discussed with your doctor or care team. 

“Maybe in the future there will be some forms of breast cancer that won’t even need surgery,” she said. “We can have goals!”

A care philosophy shaped by experience

All of this informs how Dr. Bokhari runs her clinic. She emphasizes the importance of evidence-based recommendations delivered with time for questions, candid discussion of trade-offs and an insistence that people feel heard.

“I don’t want to be dismissive of people’s concerns,” she said. “I very much want to be available to my patients. I want to be accessible.” 

She also understands the importance of advocating for yourself as a patient or for a loved one as a caregiver.

“My mom discovered the mass in her breast and had it evaluated. And initially, she was told not to worry about it and that she was too young for it to be anything. She advocated for herself and said, ‘No, I want it out.’ And that's when they subsequently diagnosed her with breast cancer, after the surgery.” 

Her perspective as both clinician and patient also makes her a strong advocate for timely care. 

“Breast cancer is, in some senses, a time-sensitive diagnosis,” she said. “While people shouldn’t feel rushed into decisions, timely coordination of imaging, biopsy and the first treatment step matters.”

Helping breast cancer patients: A privilege and a goal

Dr. Bokhari instills her message into practical steps when it comes to making important choices about your health.

“Know your family history, talk frankly with your doctor about genetic risk and screening and don’t put off recommended mammograms,” she said.

She also offers reassurance for people who are facing difficult choices when it comes to managing or identifying their risk for breast cancer. 

“It’s not my job to tell them what to do but to present them with their options, present them with all of the perspectives, answer all of their questions, and then move through their journey with them and how they want to manage it.”

It’s easy for her to share why she became a doctor and what drives her every day in a field that can be very emotionally charged. 

 “I feel very privileged to take care of these people. It is something that’s very personal and very important to me. And I appreciate when they trust me with that part of their lives, because I recognize that they don’t have to.”

You can take control of your breast health, too. Learn about your genetic screening options and speak with an OBGYN today.